Real Estate Photography Prep Sheet Generator

What goes on a real estate photography prep sheet?

Everything the seller can do before you arrive that you would otherwise do on the clock, or edit out afterwards. In the order the generator prints it:

• The whole house: every light on and every bulb working, blinds open, ceiling fans and TVs off, floors clear.
• Kitchen and bathrooms: counters cleared, the sink empty, the fridge door bare, toilet lids down, bath mats and cleaning supplies put away. These are the rooms where clutter shows most.
• Bedrooms and living areas: beds made, nightstands and tables cleared, remotes and chargers away.
• Outside: cars gone, bins and hoses put away, the lawn mowed a day or two before, sprinklers off that morning so the driveway and walks are dry.
• Privacy: mail, prescriptions, valuables, kids' names and schedules, and alarm codes or Wi-Fi passwords put away.
• What the services you booked need: drone, twilight, video, a 3D scan and a floor plan each add a few items.

A vacant home gets a different list: utilities on, every bulb working, the place cleaned, and contractor leftovers gone. A staged home adds the staging, finished before you arrive, and the patio furniture set out if there's a patio.

When should you send the prep sheet?

When the shoot is booked, to the agent, who forwards it to the seller or tenant. Send a short reminder the day before. A home that's ready when you arrive is the biggest thing that shortens a shoot you don't control (see how long a real estate photo shoot takes), and it means you photograph the house instead of rearranging it. Even on a prepped home, run your own quick pass first; the shot list generator prints that pass with the room list.

Why put privacy on the list?

Listing photos are public. They go from the MLS to the big portals, get copied by other sites, and can stay online after the sale. Anything readable in a frame (an envelope with a name on it, a prescription label, a child's name on a bedroom wall, a code on the fridge) is published with the listing. Asking the seller to put those away is easier than spotting them in every frame. It's also safer than editing them out later: in California, AB 723 requires a disclosure on listing photos that were digitally altered, and our reading is that removing objects counts. See our AB 723 guide.

What does each service add?

• Drone: the camera sees the whole lot and the roof, so the side yards, the back of the house and anything left on a roof or deck need the same tidy-up as the front. Our drone rules guide covers what you need to fly it.
• Twilight: every interior light on, plus porch, landscape and pool lights, with the blinds open, at the return time you set. The twilight calculator gives the time.
• Walkthrough video: the camera moves through every room without cuts, so nobody can stand just out of frame. Everyone out of the house is easiest.
• 3D scan or walkthrough: interior doors open, and people and pets out. A 360 camera sees in every direction, so anyone in the room is in the scan. See how to make a 3D walkthrough with a 360 camera.
• Floor plan: every room unlocked and reachable, including the garage, basement and utility rooms, so it can be measured. Our floor plan guide covers the rest.

Booking the shoot? The pricing calculator works out what to charge, and the invoice generator bills it.